I Miss You
by FaberryAchelefan16
Summary: Quinn takes a trip without Rachel for the first time and ends up realizing something.


"Do you realize that in the thirteen years we've been together we haven't been apart for more than a few hours?" a now successful on Broadway twenty nine year old Rachel asked as she laid in bed with her girlfriend the night before Quinn would be leaving for a week.

"Mmhmm" Quinn responded into the pillow. Rachel looked to see Quinn's eyes were closed.

"Hmm maybe I'll use your week off to have some fun. I heard Jessie's in town." That caught the other girls attention and she sat up.

"Not funny."

"Just making sure you're listening to me."

"I was. I just have an eight hour drive to take tomorrow with a four and twelve year old." Rachel nodded and Quinn could see her pulling her dramatic act even before she spoke.

"You're right. I was just thinking, but I'll let you sleep."

"Rach come here." Quinn opened her arms and let the drama queen fall into them.

"It's only for a week." The blonde said stroking Rachel's hair. "I wish you could go."

"But I have to work." Rachel pointed our and Quinn sighed.

"The week will go by fast we'll both be so busy." Silence fell around them and soon they were asleep. The next morning they woke up at six so that Rachel could get to work and Quinn could get the girls in the car and drive to Lima. Bailey and Chloe hugged Rachel goodbye as they got in the car and Bailey buckled Chloe in leaving Quinn to hug and kiss Rachel.

"I love you." The taller girl said into Rachel's shoulder.

"I love you too. I'll see you in a week." They broke apart when they heard a honking behind them. They looked to see Bailey settling back into her seat. "Tell everyone I said hi."

"I will and I'll call you tonight." They shared one last kiss before Quinn got in her car and left. The car ride was filled with music and a lot of stops so what was supposed to be an eight hour drive turned into a ten hour drive. When they were still and two hours away Quinn got a call from Rachel asking if they had arrived.

"No, Chloe had to stop a lot."

"Ok, call me when you get to my dad's."

"I will." It hadn't been five minutes since Quinn got off with Rachel when she got a call from Rachel's dad.

"Hi Leroy. We're about two hours away and we're fine Chloe just had to stop a lot." She explained before he could say anything knowing he would ask.

"Ok, well we'll see you soon." She smiled and hung up. She drove the last two hours without interruption because Chloe was asleep in the back seat and Bailey was listening to her I-pod starting to doze off. Quinn felt more excited to be back in Lima the closer they got. She loved New York, but Lima was her home. She got to Rachel's dad's at five thirty and immediately called Rachel getting her voicemail.

"We just got here. Both girls are asleep. Have a good show, call me tonight and I love you." Quinn hung up and felt a hollow space in her stomach, but pushed it away as she got her two daughters out of the car to greet the two men who were more her parents then her own. They ate dinner with mostly Quinn, Leroy and Hiram talking then went to bed. The two younger girls slept in the spare bedroom at the end of the hall and Quinn slept in the room her and Rachel had shared the three years before leaving for college and despite being exhausted from the drive and being in such a familiar room Quinn could barely sleep feeling a heaviness settle on her body that she'd never felt before. She noticed it continued over the next few days and ended up getting worse with each day. She couldn't name it, but by the fifth day in Lima she noticed it went away when she was on the phone with Rachel and came back the second she hung up. With this piece of information Quinn put it together, she missed Rachel and had never missed anyone before so at first it freaked her out, but soon she accepted it and realized what she had to do. On the last day in Lima she left her daughters with their father and went somewhere special not telling anyone where she was going because if she told them they would tell Rachel and she wanted it to be a surprise. Then when she got back she took Bailey and Chloe to dinner at Rachel's favorite restaurant in all of Ohio.

"What's wrong Mom?" Quinn heard Bailey ask as she was playing with her food on the plate in front of her.

She looked at her perceptive twelve year old and answered, "I miss your Momma." She looked back to her plate and only looked up when she noticed a cell phone in her face.

"Call her." The blonde met both of her children's eyes and grabbed the phone to dial the memorized number.

"Hey baby." Quinn heard after two rings and she couldn't help but smile. "What are my favorite girls doing?" She heard rustling in the background and assumed Rachel was messing with stuff in her dressing room.

"We're eating dinner at your favorite restaurant in Lima." The taller girl replied knowing the reaction she would get.

"Oh, lucky!"

Quinn smiled and pulled the phone away so she could say, "Your Momma's a dork." Both girls smiled with their mom.

"I heard that." She heard the beautiful Broadway star yell and Quinn just laughed with their daughters. "Did you just call to tease me or is there a point to this call?"

"I have to have a reason to call my girlfriend now?" Quinn asked only partially teasing.

"No, I just have a show in twenty minutes." Rachel answered and Quinn felt her heart squeeze as if by a hand.

"I just called to tell you we're leaving tomorrow so I'll call you when we leave. Have a good show."

"I always do. Tell the girls I love them."

"I will. I . . ." she wanted to say she missed her, but couldn't form the words. "love you." She said instead and met her daughters disapproving eyes.

"Love you too." She heard before a click.

"What?" Quinn asked Bailey quietly.

"You were supposed to say you missed her."

"I was going to I just . . ."

"Got scared." The younger offered and Quinn nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know. Why does it matter?" she asked defensively.

"She's my mom just as much as you are and she makes you happy. I don't get why you can't say it or why you guys don't get married." Quinn looked at her daughters very Rachel mannerisms and slowly reached into her purse.

"I planned on changing that tomorrow." She said opening the box to show a simple yet elegant diamond ring.

"When did you get this?" Quinn laughed as Bailey continued to show Rachel-isms as she looked at the ring.

"Yesterday while you were with your dad." Quinn looked at Chloe who was now staring at the ring.

"I miss Momma too." She said meeting Quinn's eyes and the blonde almost burst into tears. Quinn looked form Chloe back to Bailey who was smiling a smile that said she had an idea.

"What are you thinking?" Quinn asked slightly nervous.

"If you're willing Chloe and I can sleep in the car and you can drive all night so we'll get home sooner."

The ex-cheerio only had to debate for thirty seconds before she said, "Ok but we'll have to hurry packing and saying goodbye to Grandad and Pop."

"Ok!" Both girls yelled as they hurriedly ate the rest of their dinner. They packed quickly and said goodbye to Hiram and Leroy leaving by ten o'clock. Chloe fell asleep quickly and was soon followed by Bailey leaving Quinn to stay awake which was surprisingly easy as she listened to a mix CD Rachel had made her and tried to plan what she would say to propose. At about two in the morning her phone rang.

"Hello?'

"Hey, the show just ended." She heard the voice of an angel say and her heart started to pick up speed.

"How'd it go?" she whispered not wanting to wake the girls in the backseat.

"Good as always, why are you whispering?"

"Bailey and Chloe couldn't sleep so there in here with me." Quinn responded quickly.

"Oh." Silence fell through the speakers and Quinn thought the call dropped.

"Rach?"

"I miss you. I couldn't say it when you called earlier, but I wanted to so badly."

"I miss you too." Quinn said smiling widely. She looked through her mirror to see Bailey smiling at her too. "That's why I called earlier. I told Bailey I missed you and she said to call you." Both girls shared a laugh then silence fell again until Quinn continued, "I haven't been able to sleep very well all week."

"Me either. Frank's starting to notice. In rehearsal yesterday he handed me an extra cup of coffee 'cause I couldn't stop yawning." They spent the next two hours talking about their week apart without Rachel ever suspecting Quinn was driving.

At about four thirty Rachel said, "I guess I better let you go to wake up the girls. I'll see you tonight. I love you."

"I love you too." Quinn said and hung up. The last hour and a half of driving Quinn started to get antsy wanting nothing more than to be standing in Rachel's open arms. As she pulled into the parking garage she saw Bailey start to slowly stir.

"We just pulled in, hon. Don't worry about your stuff just go in and go to bed." Quinn said turning off the car to get out and unbuckle Chloe. Bailey sleepily walked behind her mom as they took the elevator to their apartment and Quinn opened the door with a sleeping Chloe in her arms. She laid Chloe in her bed and walked back to the living room to see Rachel asleep on the couch. She crouched down and lightly pressed her lips to Rachel's who's eyes fluttered open.

"Did I sleep all day?" came the softest voice Quinn has ever heard.

"No and before you ask you're not dreaming either."

"Then what are you doing here?" Rachel said sitting up.

"I was missing you too much so I left last night at ten." Quinn said smiling.

"So I talked to you while you were driving?" Quinn nodded as they stood. "Where are the girls?"

"Still asleep, I put them back in bed." Rachel started to walk toward the hallway, but Quinn's hand on her wrist stopped her. "I got you something while I was in Lima and I wanted to give it you." She explained and Rachel turned around. "You said this was our first time apart in thirteen years and at first I didn't think much of it, but for the past week I've felt a weight on my heart that only left when I talked to you. This break from work was good, but it made me realize something." Quinn knelt on one knee and pulled the small red box out of her pocket. "I can't be away from you, I need you so Rachel Barbra Berry will you marry me?" Quinn opened the box and looked up to see tears in Rachel's beautiful brown eyes and her hands over her mouth. Quinn started to get nervous until Rachel nodded.

"Of course I will, Quinn." Quinn placed the ring on Rachel's finger and stood up to pull her in for a kiss.

Quinn excitedly spun her fiancé around and broke apart when they heard a soft voice ask, "Momma said yes." They looked toward the hallway to see Chloe wiping her eyes and Bailey smiling behind her.

"She did." Quinn answered walking toward them holding Rachel's hand.

"Yay." The younger girl said throwing her arms around both girls necks.

"About time" Bailey added turning back around to head toward her. "Come on Chlo let's leave Mom and Momma to sleep." With both children in their room Rachel turned to Quinn.

"Did you tell my dad's what you were doing?"

"No, because I knew James would tell you."

"Good, I'm gonna go call them. Then we'll sleep." Quinn watched as Rachel danced toward the kitchen and smiled at the thought of being with her for the rest of their lives, knowing she wouldn't need anything else.


End file.
